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Afghan interpreters with Australian visas unable to get to safety
The Australian government has granted 90 visas since the beginning of May to Afghans who worked alongside Australian forces but the interpreters say they have been unable to leave Afghanistan due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The Guardian Australia reported that while officials have offered to help the Afghans get on commercial flights to Australia in the near future, this has not been possible for many.
Speaking from Kabul on Tuesday, one interpreter said that without access to military flights, their situation would not change.
“If they can’t relocate us, what is the point of having a visa?” the man said. He was among 41 interpreters who wrote to the government twice earlier this year pleading for urgent help.
Last month Australia suddenly closed its Kabul embassy, saying it could not guarantee the security of staff in the light of the impending withdrawal of Australian troops by 11 September.
The Guardian reported that on Tuesday another interpreter said his family was awaiting passports, but without access to the embassy and its staff he had no certainty of being able to leave.
Another former translator has been sent into hiding after a letter stamped and signed by the Taliban was taped to his front gate, ABC reported.
Earlier on Tuesday Scott Morrison told reporters the government was “working urgently and steadfastly” to resolve the matter.
“This is not the first time that we have had to support in these circumstances, bringing people to Australia under the appropriate visa arrangements for humanitarian visas that are in place,” the prime minister said.
“We have done this before safely. And we will be able to do it again … We are very aware of it. And we are working urgently and steadfastly and patiently to ensure that we do this in the appropriate way as we have done on earlier occasions. I was the minister responsible at the time last time we were doing this when I was in immigration, so I’m very well aware of the sensitivities and the need to move swiftly.”
In March 2020, Australia closed its borders to non-nationals and non-residents due to the Coronavirus pandemic and has since been allowing only limited international arrivals, mainly citizens returning from abroad.
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Continued aid to Afghanistan vital for regional security: Kazakh president
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has emphasized the continuation of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, stating that the ongoing provision of such aid plays an important role in ensuring regional security.
Speaking at the international conference “Peace and Trust” in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, Tokayev described addressing complex humanitarian challenges and the reconstruction of Afghanistan as a necessity.
“To ensure regional security, we consider it essential to continue providing assistance to Afghanistan, including by strengthening international efforts to address complex humanitarian issues and the reconstruction of this country. Kazakhstan remains committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan through humanitarian aid, educational projects, trade development, and food security initiatives,” he said.
Meanwhile, experts believe that sustainable improvement of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan requires broad cooperation from the international community and support for the country’s economic development.
“Investment can be defined as one of the fundamental drivers of the economic cycle, and whenever Afghan traders do not take their money out of the country and instead invest domestically, it naturally leads to greater growth and dynamism in Afghanistan’s economy,” said Abdul Zahoor Modabber, an economic analyst.
As the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan continues, reports by international relief organizations indicate that millions of citizens of the country are in urgent need of food, health, and livelihood assistance.
The reduction in funding for aid organizations, the impacts of climate change, and the return of migrants have increased concerns about a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country.
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Islamic Emirate declines to attend Tehran meeting on Afghanistan
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Sirajuddin Haqqani: A government that intimidates its people is not a true government
Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, Minister of Interior of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said during a visit to Khost province on Friday that any government which rules through fear cannot be considered a true government.
“A government is one that is loved by its people, one that serves them with respect and compassion, and from whose behavior people learn ethics and sincerity,” he said.
Haqqani also stressed that Afghans who opposed the Islamic Emirate in the past should be tolerated and treated in a way that helps eliminate hostility and animosity, paving the way for national cohesion.
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